Personal Narrative: My Gender Experience

For the next two years I struggled with the concept that I might actually be gay. By junior I was certain that I was in fact all the things that I was called in middle school, but because of the negative memories I decided it was a secret that I was better of keeping to myself. That was until the spring semester of my senior year in high school when I decided that I was going to live my life the way I wanted to. I would no longer allow people to scare me into being anything other then what I wanted to be I would live my life openly and honestly. On the evening of February 16, 2014 I came out as Gay on literally every social media platform I owned. The following morning, to my surprise, my classmates for the most part greeted me with open arms. As I walked from class to class I received a staggering amount of compliments and support. I was quite frankly overwhelmed when I did get a negative comment and a dozen people rushed to my

The determination of my gender identity was preset by my parents giving me the chromosomes XY, gave me an anatomic appearance of a female. Also being reared in a hetero environment had an influence in becoming a female as well. So the relation to the masculinity-femininity continuum is that I posses both traits feminine and masculine. In some situations I tend to carry myself as a caring and soft-spoken female, is typical for feminine behavior. On the other hand I express more masculine attributes like aggressiveness and self-reliance, which is typical for masculine behavior. Both add in the development in determining and sustaining my gender identity. The biological perspective by the way was inherited from my parents and aided in the development of the characteristics in becoming a woman, gender role of nurturing and caring individual, and maternal tendencies in taking care of my child. Then the psychological perspective according to my mother to which she insists that I was a normal girl with particular behaviors toward feminine toys and clothes. As a final point, the social environment offers an insight into the typical social role of an American woman, which was predetermined at birth by my social surroundings (Rathus, Nevid &

What does it mean to express ourselves as women? Gender shapes our interpretation of what it is to be at home within ourselves. As James Baldwin eloquently reminded us, “The world’s definitions are one thing, and the lives one actually lives is quite another” (Baldwin, ). How can we be sure of the complex nature of our gender identities and gender expression, be genuine, when we have been socialized into looking at the world through the lens of a binary gender system since we were born? It seems to me that the definition and expression of womanhood are constantly evolving, and that is good news.

Title: What it Means to be Gendered Me- Life on the Boundaries of a Dichotomous Gender System

The master, ascribed status associated with being a woman has countless affects on my experiences and how it has designed my life. Everything I do is with the mindset of a woman, whether it is how I dress or how I speak. From the time when I was young, I was the first female child within my generation. Even at the age of five, I recall countless times where I had to prove I could “hang with the boys.” This sort of initiation occurred in countless ways from doing gross dares to having to show I can take a punch—literally. Enduring all this mayhem only seemed natural because I did not want to be seen or treated differently from the boys. Time passed and my woman-ness became even more prevalent as boys were able to get away with things that I could not. “Close your legs,” “girls do not play with toy guns,” “Put down the Gameboy, go play with

As a biological female, in more ways than not, I tend to follow the expected roles of a traditional women. Associated with the role of a female are certain personality traits, behaviors, appearances, and occupations. Females are seens as gentle, emotional, nurturing, soft-spoken, cooperative, and dependent. Females are expected to be “pretty” by using makeup, skincare, and haircare products. Longer hair is seen as feminine, as well as, the color pink. In addition, women are expected to pursue careers as teachers, nurses, social workers, and secretaries because these careers required traits and characteristics which are associated with “female.” I view myself as a gentle person, but I am also a strong and relentless soccer and rugby player.

I felt frustrated when students told me short hair made me look like a boy. While it seems trivial, I think having short hair influenced me in two different ways. First, so people wouldn’t confuse my sex category and to avoid further censure, I grew my hair out and dressed in more “appropriately feminine” clothing in college. While I didn’t want others to confuse my sex category, I think I also started to realize that other’s perceptions of me didn’t define me. In realizing this, I think it freed me to challenge societal views of gender. While I still “do” gender in more conventional ways, I think my ideas about gender are changing. I also think my views about gender are slowly changing how I “do” gender. In addition, while living up to stereotypes of femininity is still important to me in some areas, such as clothing and hairstyle, overall living up to these prevailing norms and stereotypes is becoming increasing less important to

During my field experience, I have had the opportunity to be part of the CSI club, been on duty for lunch and helped out in SSR buddy! All of these different opportunities have given me moments of joy, uncomfortableness, and a sense of purpose!

“Not for the first time, an argument had broken out over breakfast at number four Privet Drive. Mr. Vernon Dursley had been woken in the early hours of the morning by a loud, hooting noise from his nephew Harry’s room.” — these are the words that framed my childhood. Unlike other children, who were raised to spend time playing outside, I was raised alongside a young British wizard with a scar on his forehead and a penchant for finding trouble. Of course, the adventures of Harry Potter are not actually fact; however, to a boy gleefully resting on his mother’s lap their authenticity was never in question. I can still remember so many things about the way that she would read to me on those lazy Sunday afternoons. Entranced by her soft voice rising and falling as each syllable passed over her lips, I sat and dreamed for endless hours.

When I went for the interview the girls over there were really friendly and welcoming. A past co-worker of mine from a previous job was working at my current job and she told mw about it. The place that I was the doctor was a mess, awesome doctor but awful as a boss and he had no benefits what so ever. In this new place that I am now they have a 401k plan, insurance, 80 hours of paid vacation after 90 days of employment, aflac and a health savings account. When they offered me the job and told me all those benefits that I did not had before and their salary is more competitve I couldn't say

The way my father performed his gender has shaped the performance of my gender. My dad has also talked about raising me and my brothers as men but not as a binary concept but what he felt manhood represented. That involved in many things such as playing lots of sports or learning how to fight and other activities such as fishing. Although my dad never forced me to play sports it was always a staple in my household and I would- be mocked when I stopped playing a sport out of boredom. My dad constructed my gender self to view men as a group who had to become strong, fast, aggressive, dominant, and achieving in order to fit into society. This interaction with my family has caused my gender construction with others to be a byproduct of my experiences

When did doing something “like a girl” mean being weak? When did it become something that even as women, we portray in a negative way?

I recently realized with the feminist movement of the last few years, the metrosexual movement a few years before, and maybe too many Will & Grace reruns the years before that – Most guys have forgotten how to be actual men, and quite honestly it’s embarrassing. We’ve gotten so worried about coming off sexist, offending someone or saying the wrong thing. It’s sickening! This Jimmy Fallon style – everyone wins a trophy – never hurt anyone’s feelings way of living just doesn’t cut the mustard kiddos! It’s time to Man the Fuck Up!

Prior to this moment I had never really felt pressured from society to fit my gender. I had seen many ideal beauty standards for females that I never felt I met but I had never had a moment where I felt like my appearance was associated with my gender. This moment was really jarring to me because when I decided to cut my hair short, I never once thought about how this would change the perception people had about me; It seemed like a small cosmetic decision.

In middle and high school my femininity was defined. I wanted to be a girl more than ever. In the article Gender and New Institutionalism Katherine Graham states in her personal history a universal situation. A large struggle during adolescence is to figure out how to be appealing to boys (pg 14). We both discovered that we needed to be fake in order to be attractive. I had my first boyfriend and the entire relationship was pre-scripted. It was like